We've gone to China to pick up our daughter! Now the adventure continues in Minnesota - and beyond!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

The Accent is on "Eh"

Another busy day in Vancouver, starting off on a different trolley line and heading to the magnificent Stanley Park. The park is named after the same fellow that the Stanley Cup honors, it's that big a deal.

Stanley Park is to Vancouver as Central Park is to New York, except with beaches, mountains, its original plants and animals, and a lot more room.

One of Earth's most perfect spots. I shot a whole panorama from here, but we're only permitted to show you a little bit. The entire city is set out before you.

A significant chunk of the park is dedicated to teaching visitors about Native (or as they say here, Aboriginal) culture. The tribes are still a big part of local culture and their members are part of everyday society here.

Ginormous cedar trees that are hundreds of years old, and ferns as big as a sofa. The leaves on the maple trees are bigger than dinner plates.

The outer point of the park marks the deep water and passage out to the Pacific. Back toward Downtown, sheltered coves sport sandy, sunny beaches and even hardy palm trees.

We keep finding little urban treasures as we snoop around the neighborhood, like a Korean grocery store just a block from the hotel, and ample supplies everywhere of "coffee milk" just like they had in Japan. We ate dinner at a hole-in-the-wall noodle shop just under the Korean grocery, and there are at least a dozen other little cafes in a three-block stretch that we can see from our window that we'd love to try out.

Alas, our time here is drawing to a close, at least for this trip. We're already figuring out where we'd stay and what we'd see the next time we come to British Columbia - and how soon we can make it happen.

We're glad we stopped in Portland first, as the Weather Channel says it's in the mid-90s there right now. Here it's still been in the 70s with the heat due to kick in just after our airplane takes off!